alveolar

[al-vee-uh-ler] /ælˈvi ə lər/
adjective
1.
Anatomy, Zoology. of or pertaining to an alveolus or to alveoli.
2.
Phonetics. articulated with the tongue touching or close to the alveolar ridge, as English t, d, n; gingival.
noun
3.
Phonetics. an alveolar sound.
Origin
1790-1800; alveol- + -ar1
Related forms
alveolarly, adverb
interalveolar, adjective
postalveolar, adjective
pseudoalveolar, adjective
Examples from the web for alveolar
  • And knowing a voiced dental fricative from a voiceless aspirated alveolar stop is so basic.
  • The central point of the anterior margin of the upper alveolar arch.
  • It contains the inferior alveolar vessels and nerve, from which branches are distributed to the teeth.
  • The alveolar bone is the bone of the jaw which forms the alveolus around teeth.
British Dictionary definitions for alveolar

alveolar

/ælˈvɪələ; ˌælvɪˈəʊlə/
adjective
1.
(anatomy) of, relating to, or resembling an alveolus
2.
denoting the part of the jawbone containing the roots of the teeth
3.
(of a consonant) articulated with the tongue in contact with the projecting part of the jawbone immediately behind the upper teeth
noun
4.
an alveolar consonant, such as the speech sounds written t, d, and s in English
Word Origin and History for alveolar
adj.

"pertaining to alveoli," 1799, from Modern Latin alveolus "socket of a tooth" (see alveolus).

alveolar in Medicine

alveolar al·ve·o·lar (āl-vē'ə-lər)
adj.
Relating to an alveolus.